The NRA, unvarnished

A screen capture from the home page of the National Rifle Association’s lobbying arm taken Friday, March 1, 2013.

The National Rifle Association has more in common with the White House and Congress than you think.

Its switchboard has been overwhelmed since the Dec. 14 massacre at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School.

So much so that the organization’s lobbying arm recorded this very telling greeting for its callers:

“Your call is very important to us. We are currently experiencing extremely high call volumes due to the recent attacks on our second amendment rights. Please be sure you contact your lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to express your opposition to these latest anti-gun proposals.”

The lobbying arm of the NRA keeps a report card for federal and state law makers on their Second Amendment positions. The information is available to members only.

Hearst Newspapers this week requested the grades for several state legislators in Connecticut as part of a survey on gun control measures.